This drabble was written as a response to a prompt I was sent on my Tumblr (dragonqueenofall) by natashabromanoff: Sif and Loki are an established couple and go to Midgard and celebrate Valentine's Day! And it's cute! Bonus if Tony/Pepper, Clint/Natasha, Bruce/Betty, Thor/Jane, Darcy/Ian, Coulson/Maria, and Steve/that waitress from the end of the Avengers.
Set in a bit of an AU-verse where Loki was being controlled during The Avengers and everyone has forgiven him for his part in the whole destruction of the city bit, or else I don't think this part would have turned out too well lol.
"Are human hearts really this shape?" Sif frowned incredulously at the hundredth brightly colored heart decoration they had encountered since entering the party at Stark Tower.
Loki grinned as he turned back to her, handing her a glass of some Midgardian alcohol that was being passed around. "I do not think so," he said as he linked his arm with hers once more. "I believe it is just a symbol of love in current society," Loki informed her, taking a sip of the drink. It was quite weak by Asgardian standards, but the bubbles were interesting.
"The Midgardians have many strange customs," Sif said as she reached down to straighten her dress once again. Iron Man, or "Tony" as he insisted they call him, had insisted all "Off-Worlders" allow him to supply them with appropriate clothing for that night's event. His betrothed, Pepper, had helped Sif dress in a very small amount of red fabric that clung to her warrior figure quite tightly, paired with oddly tall shoes. Sif was not used to wearing so little, but Loki had assured her she had looked very lovely. Indeed, she had caught him staring at her dress quite often already, a mischievous glint in his eye.
"Truly," Loki agreed as he looked around the party.
All the Avengers and many other familiar faces were present at Stark's Valentine's Day party. Loki could see their host and his partner chatting with the Hulk, or "Bruce" as he preferred to be called, sighing heavily any time someone called him by his alter ego, and his date, a "Betty" Loki recalled. No doubt the two men were discussing some inane scientific matter, considering the bored looks on the women's faces.
Across the room he spotted the archer and the assassin, seemingly playing some sort of game only the two of them understood as they circled each other around the food tables, sly looks on their faces whenever their eyes met. Loki rolled his eyes. It was immensely obvious to everyone that the two S.H.I.E.L.D agents were attracted to each other, if not already somehow involved. If he were a commiserating kind of man, Loki would pull Agent Barton aside and advise him to "seize the day," as the Midgardian saying went. Life was short, especially human lives, and Loki knew he would forever reprimand himself for waiting so long to tell Sif how he truly felt about her.
Speaking of which, his warrior goddess was currently pulling him out of his reverie, literally, as she dragged him across the room towards Captain America. Loki scrunched his face in distaste for a moment before schooling his features back into their usual cool neutrality. It was no secret he disliked the patriotic Avenger, but for some reason Sif found his national pride admirable. Something about how his defending of his home was similar to how she defended Asgard or some such. Honestly, Loki's attention span when it came to self-righteousness was limited.
Steve Rogers was currently standing next to a blonde with long hair, the infamous waitress the time displaced Avenger was always going on about, and a few more S.H.I.E.L.D agents, notably Phil Coulson and Maria Hill. Loki chose to ignore the cool look Coulson shot him as he and Sif approached. He was sure given enough time the S.H.I.E.L.D agent would get over that one time he had killed him; after all, Loki hadn't been fully in control of his own actions, and could hardly be held responsible. He had also apologized once he had been himself again and Agent Coulson had made a miraculous recovery. Well, Loki's exact words had been, "no harm, no foul;" Midgardian sayings amused Loki greatly and he enjoyed using them. The middle-aged Midgardian had not been very forgiving, oddly enough, punching Loki in the face before he had been restrained. The trickster god had just laughed it off, the force of the blow barely a tickle. Apparently time had not yet healed all wounds between the two though, as Loki noted Agent Hill's restraining hand on Coulson's arm as they joined the group.
"Lady Sif, how nice to see you," Steve said, wide smile on his face as he took her hand in his and placed a kiss to it. Loki grimaced at the display. If any of the Avengers could be said to be able to get underneath Loki's skin, it was certainly Captain America.
"You as well," Sif said smiling back, nodding to the rest of the group in greeting.
"I believe you remember Beth," Steve said as he gestured to the blonde on his arm.
Sif and the shy girl exchanged grins.
"We were seeking my brother," Loki interjected, bored with the salutations. "Have you seen him? Perhaps with his head in a mug or twelve of ale?" he asked in an uninterested tone.
"Loki!" Sif admonished, giving him a frown and rolling her eyes when he grinned. "Pay him no heed, please," she said as she turned back to the group. "But if you did know where Thor was, we would be grateful if you could tell us."
Loki's snort turned into a grunt as Sif's elbow met his ribs. He gave her a sidelong glare which she pointedly ignored.
Maria smirked as she answered, "I believe I saw him earlier in the ballroom, dancing with Dr. Foster."
"Our thanks," Sif said, nodding before she once again dragged Loki through the party.
Loki offhandedly noticed Jane Foster's companion Darcy in the corner as they passed through the room, pressing a slightly flustered looking young man against the wall as she heatedly kissed him. Loki looked to Sif, about to suggest they do the same until he noticed the annoyed look on her face, wiping the sly grin from his own. Apparently she was not yet over his joking from earlier with Steve Rogers and company. Could he not "catch a (single) break" this night?
Upon entering the next room they came upon a large crowd of people dancing to the band that played off to the side. Loki noted Stark and Miss Potts dancing towards the center of the group, the red head laughing at something the suave man had said. They must have migrated to the ballroom while he and Sif had been searching for Thor. Loki soon spotted the god in question, twirling Jane around like a paper doll, as ungraceful as ever. He rolled his eyes yet again at the display, wondering not for the first time how two people raised by the same parents could turn out so very different.
"Care to dance?" he said as he turned to Sif, extending his hand and bowing slightly, smiling up at her as he tried to appease her.
"Mmm perhaps," she said, plucking an interesting looking item from a food tray that passed by. Loki watched in rapt attention as she brought the brown object to her mouth. Sif gave a small moan of delight as she bit into it, revealing the juicy red center. Her eyes closed as she enjoyed the taste, Loki's darkening as he watched.
Her eyes fluttered open again and met his, a smile curling on her lips. "Taste this," she said as she brought the rest of the item to his lips. Loki accepted it, his eyes burning into hers as her fingertips brushed his lips when she placed it into his mouth. It was sweet and delicious, a variety of Midgardian fruit, he surmised, covered in something even sweeter.
Loki pulled her body up against his suddenly, staring into her eyes, his heart almost aching at the emotions he saw there. "It is almost as sweet as you, Sif," he whispered, enjoying the smile that swept across her face and the blush that stained her cheeks.
"Are we going to dance or are you just going to sweet-talk me all night?" she teased, bringing her arms up to his, mimicking the humans around them.
"Perhaps a dance or two now, I suppose," Loki said, feigning deep thought. "But I have other plans for you that will take all night besides just talk," he promised, loving the matching smirk that crept onto her face almost as much as the woman wearing it as he pulled them out onto the dance floor.